The Curse of Solomon Grundy
by chilled monkey
Summary: Swamp Thing and his friends must put a stop to an undead revenant that is terrorising the bayou (edited).


**Disclaimer:** I do not own "Swamp Thing" or any characters of concepts from the series. Swamp Thing and Solomon Grundy belong to DC Comics and the "Swamp Thing" animated series is property of DIC Entertainment. No profit is being made from this story.

* * *

Pitch black clouds covered the sky, hiding the stars and blotting out all traces of moonlight. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as rain fell down in torrents upon the swamp, pelting the leaves and branches of the trees.

Inside a giant tree that housed the secret lab of Alec Holland AKA Swamp Thing, Tomahawk, the Native American game warden shivered as he looked out at the rain.

"Thanks for letting me wait out the storm here. I'd hate having to patrol in that" he said.

"What are friends for?" Swamp Thing replied. The plant/human hybrid was, as usual, working at a table covered with chemistry apparatus. Not for the first time Tomahawk reflected on what a tragic irony it was that such a brilliant mind was trapped in such a monstrous body, and how admirable it was that he refused to give up on finding a cure for his condition.

As Swamp Thing turned off a Bunsen burner there was another flash of lightning accompanied by a thunderclap. Tomahawk jumped, half-expecting that the bolt had struck the tree-lab. Swamp Thing was unfazed, merely looking over curiously.

"That was a close one" he said in a tone of mild amusement. "Good thing the tree-lab uses bioluminescence. No need to worry about a blackout here." He gestured at the glowing moss that covered the ceiling.

"That's true. I'd hate to have the lights go out on a night like this" Tomahawk agreed. "My grandfather would say that weather like this is a bad omen."

"Well the swamp has its secrets, some of them very dark ones" Swamp Thing mused. "Let's just hope that this storm doesn't wake any."

* * *

In another part of the bayou was a pool of stagnant brown water. The grass around it was brown and withered while the trees were stunted and misshapen, with cracked bark and diseased-looking growths marring their boles. Flashes of lightning cast terrifying shadows from their claw-like branches. The pond's normally still surface was alive with movement as sheets of rain slammed into it, sending out circular ripples.

Suddenly a lightning bolt flashed from the sky. In seeming defiance of natural law it missed all of the twisted trees and struck the pond's surface, sending electrical arcs across it. The brief flash of light ended, returning the area to darkness.

For a moment nothing happened. Then something began to slowly rise up from the pond's murky depths. Water sluiced off of its large form as it emerged, the driving rain cleansing it of the muck that covered it. It walked forwards, its movements stiff and awkward at first but becoming more fluid as it climbed out of the pond and onto the muddy ground. Standing in the downpour the dark figure threw back its head and uttered a terrifying roar like that of a prehistoric beast that drowned out the sounds of the storm.

As the last traces of the roar faded away the creature wandered away, disappearing into the rain and darkness.

* * *

The following day the storm had passed and the sun was shining brightly overhead from a perfect blue sky. Drops of water glinted brightly on the leaves of every plant.

Joe Landry, a young man from a nearby town was out enjoying a morning walk. He was dressed casually in jeans, brown boots and a sleeveless black tank top. His brown hair was cropped short and his features were rugged.

His dog, a black Catahoula Leopard Hound named Rex, trotted close at his heels as he strolled along idly singing an old nursery rhyme to himself.

"Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday, christened on Tuesday, married on Wednesday…"

Just then Rex began to bark furiously at the nearby trees. He growled, his hackles raised and then started barking again.

"What's the matter boy?" Joe asked. As he tried to calm Rex down he heard a low, rasping voice.

"Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday, christened on Tuesday, married on Wednesday…"

Joe froze, feeling more afraid than he had ever been in his life. He heard leaves rustling and looked up to see something emerge from the undergrowth.

He screamed in pure terror as it reached for him...

* * *

The Arcane plantation house was a grim, foreboding building, the mere sight of which would deter most people from approaching. That was just as well, given that the plantation's owner was the evil scientist Anton Arcane. Anyone caught wandering the grounds was most likely to end up as a test subject in his twisted experiments.

It was small wonder that Arcane's stepdaughter Abby generally preferred to keep to either her room or the gardens. Still she did what she could to brighten up at least some areas of the creepy building.

One such area was the kitchen. The walls were painted a light soothing pastel purple and the cabinets were a light blue with gold trim. Large windows let in sunlight.

Abby was currently at the sink drying dishes while listening to music from a radio. Just as she put away the last plate the music was interrupted by a news bulletin.

"Police are urging people to stay indoors following reports of a monstrous creature in the swamp. Additionally several people have…"

 _Is that Alec?_ Abby thought. That was odd. She knew that Swamp Thing was very careful to avoid being seen. As she listened to the rest of the broadcast however she realised that the creature in question was not him. Furthermore there was another serious problem.

"I have to tell Alec about this right away" she said.

* * *

Two more of Swamp Thing's friends were also on their way to see him. They however had no idea of what was going on.

"Man that was some storm" said J.T.

"Yeah, It was raining so much I thought we were gonna be flooded" Delbert agreed.

"I wasn't worried. If that happened then Swampy could just make an ark to hold everyone."

They both chuckled. Then J.T. noticed the silhouette of a large figure in the trees nearby.

"Hey there's the big guy now. Hey Swampy, hi man" he called.

The figure replied with a low menacing growl that made the boys freeze in place, their good cheer disappearing.

"Th, that ain't Swampy" said Delbert fearfully.

The creature stepped out of cover and the boys screamed as they saw it clearly.

It was humanoid, tall and wiry with messy grey hair and pasty grey-white skin that was lined and shrivelled. Its eyes were sunk deep into their sockets, with black sclera and deep yellow irises. Thin lips pulled back to display yellowed rotten teeth. It wore a black waistcoat and trousers, both tattered and torn. Heavy black boots thudded down on the grass as it lumbered towards them.

"Leave Solomon Grundy alone" it rasped.

The boys backed away in fear. Just then the air was split by the sound of whirring propellers. A second later Tomahawk came roaring out of the trees aboard the Bog Rover.

"Take cover fellas. I'll handle this" he said as he leaped down, crossbow at the ready.

"Get him Tomahawk!" J.T. yelled while the boys hid behind some trees.

"Grundy crush you" the creature snarled.

"We'll see." With that, Tomahawk aimed his crossbow and fired.

With amazing speed Grundy's hand came up and caught the arrow before it hit him. Tomahawk was about to reload when he noticed something that made him stare in disbelief.

The arrow in Grundy's hand was rotting, its bright paint fading and cracks racing across its surface. Tiny pieces dropped off of it and then it completely fell apart, sending a sprinkle of wood fragments to the ground.

Stunned by the sight he stood in place as Grundy advanced. Coming out of his daze he tried to dodge but it was too late. A pale clammy hand closed around his neck and lifted him into the air. He struggled but couldn't break the creature's grip.

Tomahawk's arms fell to his side as he felt his strength draining away. His skin turned grey and seemed to contract across his body as if his muscles were melting away, leaving him thin and emaciated. His eyes changed colour to match Grundy's, black sclera and yellow irises.

Grundy released him and he fell to the ground. He moaned faintly as Grundy stalked off.

"Tomahawk!" Delbert cried. The boys raced over and knelt by his side. He looked to be nothing but skin and bones.

The boys looked at each other in horror and both exclaimed, "we gotta get Swampy!"

* * *

In the tree-lab Swamp Thing and Bayou Jack listened intently as Abby told them about the radio broadcast she had heard.

"Three people are in hospital, all of them with the same strange ailment" she explained. "They all reported some kind of monster attacked them. Other people have been seeing a strange creature in the swamp too."

"Could Arcane be behind this?" Swamp Thing asked.

"I don't think so. My stepfather hasn't been working on anything like that."

Before Swamp Thing could reply the lift rose up from the ground floor into the lab. J.T. and Delbert rushed off of it, both of them panting and gasping.

"Swampy, Tomahawk's in trouble!"

* * *

A short time later Swamp Thing had brought Tomahawk back to the tree-lab. He lay on a wooden bench groaning softly while Swamp Thing, Abby, Jack and the boys gathered around him.

"And you say that this creature, this Solomon Grundy, did this to him with a touch?" Swamp Thing asked.

"Yeah, yeah" said Delbert answered. "It just grabbed his neck and turned him into this."

"We gotta get him to the Fountain of Youth. Maybe that'd help him" said J.T.

Swamp Thing shook his head. "Arcane collapsed the Lost Cavern. And even if we could find a way in he wouldn't be able to leave the chamber."

"It, uhhh, wouldn't help anyway" said Tomahawk as he sat up.

"Easy there Tomahawk" said Swamp Thing. "What do you mean?"

"My grandfather told me stories about such creatures" he replied. "They are revenants, the walking dead, rejected by the earth itself and condemned to not know rest. Their touch infects living things with un-death. The only way to lift the curse is to help the creature to rest in peace."

"Hey, that reminds me of something" said Bayou Jack. "Anyone here heard of the legend of Cyrus Gold?"

"I have" said Abby.

"And me" Swamp Thing agreed.

J.T. and Delbert just looked confused. "What's that?" Delbert asked.

"According to the legend Cyrus Gold was a mobster in 1894. He was killed by a rival mob that dumped his body in the swamp and then had a Voodoo priest curse his burial site."

"Maybe Solomon Grundy is Cyrus Gold" Swamp Thing mused. "It all seems to fit."

"If we can find Gold's burial site and consecrate it then we can lift the curse" said Tomahawk.

Bayou Jack nodded. "A friend of mine is a Voodoo priest. His name's Jacob. He can bless the site for us. But we need to find it first."

"How are we gonna find it?" Delbert asked. "The swamp is huge."

"We can find it by following Grundy's trail" said Tomahawk. "I can… Uggh."

He tried to stand up too quickly and his legs gave out. With a groan he slumped back down.

"I'm sorry Tomahawk but you're too frail. You'd best sit this one out" said Swamp Thing.

"Yeah you wouldn't survive a trek through the swamp, let alone another encounter with Grundy" Jack agreed.

"Don't worry. We'll find that burial site" said Swamp Thing. "Abby, can you stay with him?"

"Of course" she replied.

As Swamp Thing, Jack and the boys took the lift down to the ground floor Tomahawk sighed deeply. "They're right. Look at me, I'm weak and useless."

"You're not useless" Abby said firmly, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You still have your mind and your knowledge. I'm sure you could track it down if you tried."

She smiled as she added "and besides, I promised Alec I'd stay with you. Not that I'd stay here."

"Thank you Abby" he replied, confidence returning to his voice. He stood up, more carefully this time. "Come on, let's go find that site."

* * *

Despite Tomahawk's physical condition they made good time through the swamp. He knew the area and how to avoid the hazards of the terrain. He also still had all of his tracking skills. With Abby supporting him it did not take long to find Grundy's trail.

"These tracks were made by booted feet" he said, pointing at a row of footprints. "It's hard to tell because the ground is so muddy but by the shape of the soles they aren't the boots Bayou Jack wears. Also the grass around them is brown and withered."

He then pointed to a nearby tree. "That tree has had some moss knocked off of it. Also the leaves are brown."

"Then we're on the right track" said Abby. "Let's keep going."

After a while they came upon a pond surrounded by twisted and malformed trees.

"This is the place. The tracks lead directly into the pond. That's where Cyrus Gold's body was dumped" said Tomahawk.

"That makes sense. No wonder this place is so creepy" Abby agreed. "My stepfather would feel right at home."

"We have to get back and tell the others."

* * *

Soon afterwards Swamp Thing, Jack and the boys returned to the tree-lab to find Abby and Tomahawk waiting for them.

"I'm sorry Tomahawk. We couldn't find anything" said Swamp Thing apologetically. "We'll try again as soon as we can."

To the guys surprise Tomahawk and Abby just chuckled.

"That won't be necessary" he said.

* * *

At the cursed pond Abby, Bayou Jack and Tomahawk all watched as Jack's friend Jacob performed a cleansing ritual.

Jacob was dressed casually in grey jeans and a sleeveless white vest. Around his neck was a beaded necklace. He was currently singing a mystical chant to invoke the spirits while clapping his hands and stamping his feet. He had placed a stick of burning incense on a folding table. Occasionally he would pick up it up and wave it around.

"This is fascinating" Abby whispered.

"Yes. It's similar to the rituals my tribe's shaman performs" Tomahawk agreed.

A few minutes later Jacob turned to them. "The area has now been cleansed" he said.

"Thanks man" said Jack.

"You're welcome my friend. I'm glad you called me. This place desperately needed it" he replied.

"Let me give you a lift back home."

They got into the Bog Rover and drove off. Once they were gone Swamp Thing emerged from the trees, having camouflaged himself so he also could observe.

"Okay Tomahawk, now that the pond is blessed what next?"

"Now we must find Grundy and return him here."

Swamp Thing frowned. "Somehow I doubt he'll come quietly."

A sudden scream of terror split the air. They all turned towards it.

"That's where Bayou Jack and Jacob were going. We've got to help them" Swamp Thing exclaimed.

Tomahawk started to move off but he stumbled and nearly fell. Abby and Swamp Thing helped him over to a tree which he leaned against.

"You've done enough Tomahawk" said Swamp Thing. "Without you we wouldn't even have found this place. You've more than proved yourself. This time let me handle it."

"Uhh… No argument there" he replied.

Swamp Thing glanced at Abby and she nodded. He transformed into a tangle of roots that disappeared underground and began burrowing in the direction the scream had come from.

* * *

When the grey-skinned lumbering figure in tatty clothes appeared in front of them Bayou Jack immediately tried to swerve out of the way but they were going too fast.

Jacob screamed in fear as Solomon Grundy seized the Bog Rover's grappling missile, stopping it dead. With a snarl of "Grundy smash stupid machine," he flipped the vehicle completely over, sending them flying. Jack managed to hit the ground rolling but Jacob did not fare as well. He hit his head on a root and lay still.

"Jacob!" Jack yelled. He rushed over to his friend and checked his pulse. Thankfully it was steady.

Jack spun around to face Grundy, his eyes burning with rage. "You son of a…"

Forgetting what he was facing in his anger he charged and threw a punch. Grundy simply caught his wrist and growled. Jack realised his mistake too late as a sudden weakness overtook him. Just like Tomahawk he decayed into an un-dead, his skin going grey and his body withering.

Jacob came to with a groan as Grundy let Jack collapse to the ground. Seeing what was happening his eyes bulged with fear and he couldn't move.

Just as the creature was approaching Jacob a tangle of roots burst up from the ground between them and re-formed into Swamp Thing. Without hesitation he thrust his hands out, his fingers transforming into tendrils that stretched out and wrapped around Grundy, pinning his arms to his sides. The creature roared in fury while Swamp Thing hastily disengaged the tendrils from his hands and grew a new set of fingers.

"That won't hold him for long. Quickly, get Jack out of here!"

Thankfully Jacob had managed to regain enough of his wits to understand what he was saying. He scrambled to his feet and hurried over to the gasping form of Bayou Jack. Before he could reach him the tendrils binding Grundy turned brown and withered. He snapped them effortlessly and lunged at Jacob.

Swamp Thing was faster. His arms extended in length, strong hands gripping Jacob's shoulders and lifting him up out of Grundy's reach. He then set the Voodoo priest down besides Jack. Jacob helped his friend up and they both stumbled towards the trees.

Unfortunately Swamp Thing's focus on getting them to safety had cost him. Grundy sprang at him and before he could retreat the monster's hands closed on his shoulders. His green body turned a dull brown as he began to wither.

"Grundy hate green man" the creature growled. "Why won't you leave Grundy alone!"

 _Uggh… this is as bad as Weed Killer's defoliants_ Swamp Thing thought. He tried to turn back into roots to slip away but in his weakened state he couldn't make the change.

"Stop! Let him go!"

They both looked over to see Abby standing a few metres away.

"Please, let him go" she cried.

Grundy let go and Swamp Thing stumbled back, putting a hand on a tree to steady himself. He wasn't as badly affected as Jack or Tomahawk had been but he was still seriously weakened.

"Pretty girl" said Grundy, staring at her as if entranced.

"Abby run!" Swamp Thing yelled.

"It's okay Alec" she said reassuringly before turning back to Grundy. She raised her hands in a pacifying gesture and cautiously stepped forwards.

"Come with me Grundy. I can show you somewhere you can have peace. Where no one will ever bother you again."

He nodded slowly. "Okay. Show Grundy."

Abby turned and walked off, Grundy following her. Swamp Thing also followed, using the trees to support his weight.

"Be careful Abby" he muttered.

They soon came back to the pond Grundy had risen from. She pointed to it.

"There."

"Grundy know this place" he said, looking around curiously. "Feels different now. Good place. Thank you pretty girl."

"Goodbye Grundy" she said gently. "Rest in peace."

Grundy waded into the pond and slowly descended beneath the dark waters until he disappeared beneath the surface. After a moment the water became still again.

Swamp Thing felt his strength return as his body changed back to its usual green colour. At the same time Tomahawk stood up straight as he returned to normal.

Abby turned to them. "Alec, Tomahawk, are you okay?"

"We're fine, thanks to you" Swamp Thing replied.

She smiled.

* * *

Later they all reconvened at the tree-lab.

"Tomahawk you're okay!" Delbert and J.T. exclaimed, rushing over and hugging him.

He chuckled as he returned the hug. "That's right, the curse has been lifted." He turned to look at Swamp Thing, Abby and Jack. "Thank you my friends."

"How was Jacob?" Swamp Thing asked Jack.

"He's fine, just a bump on the head. He's promised not to tell anyone about what he saw."

"And all of Grundy's victims are back to normal as well" Abby added.

"So it's over then?" Delbert asked.

"Not quite" said Swamp Thing. "There's still one more thing."

* * *

A few days later Swamp Thing was visiting Grundy's pond. He marvelled at how different it looked. The grass was now a deep green and the trees looked noticeably healthier.

In front of the pond was a small but well-carved headstone. Inscribed on it was the epitaph "Solomon Grundy- Born on a Monday." Swamp Thing nodded approvingly.

"Cyrus Gold can finally rest in piece. But for me there can be no rest. Not until I find a cure for my growth formula and become human again" he muttered as he turned away and wandered away. "And I will never stop looking until I find it."

He disappeared into the swamp, leaving behind a scene of calm serenity that the site had not known for decades.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Grundy's epitaph is the same one he had in the "Justice League" episode "The Terror Beyond."

If any followers of Louisiana Voodoo are reading this then I apologise if I misrepresented your faith here. No offence is intended.


End file.
